I was surprised with a birthday dinner here in late August and had a stupendous time. I can safely say it was one of the loveliest London outings I've ever had...and I've had many a lovely London outing.
Mostly that was definitely at down to my company for the evening (gorgeous), but everything from the scent of the jasmine incense wafting up the stairs upon entry, the greeters at the front of the restaurant, the fresh flowers on the (incredible) cocktails, to the food itself, not to mention the dark wood and sexy low lighting everywhere - really impressed me.
We began with a drink at the impressively stocked bar (nice tactic, Hakkasan) and drank in the ambience along with a Purple Emperor and White Buffalo (both lip-smackingly good). The place was buzzing; some business types, some families, some couples - good for people watching!
We started with the dim sum platter and sweetcorn soup. The 8 dim sum were filling, each one better than the last. The sweetcorn soup was a far cry from the usual glutinous goop served in takeaways and lesser restaurants. Mains were wolf fish and claypot-cooked king prawns with taro and black beans. Seafood definitely seems to be the strong suit here, but next time I'd love to try out the dim sum menu.
We were far too full for dessert, and I was glad I'd plumped for a starter instead, although the sound of chocolate ganache, morello cherry sorbet and praline mousse did have me tingling...maybe next time I'll leave room!
A very lovely place with a spectacular vibe and memorably good food and cocktails. I would wholeheartedly recommend it for anyone with a special occasion coming up.
